Two heavy duty 44T Mercedes-Benz trucks are the latest additions to Horizon’s fleet of delivery vehicles. The aquisistion allows Horizon to transport its range of 650 access platforms throughout the UK.
The well-known North of England powered access platform specialist, which has distribution and IPAF training centres in Warrington and Wakefield, has ambitious growth plans for the next few years and took the decision to buy the trucks to further improve customer service and delivery times, reduce environmental emissions and enhance driver safety and comfort.
The two Actros 2548 LS trucks are from Mercedes-Benz’ new heavy duty truck range, specifically designed for maximum performance in long distance transport. Each truck features a Mercedes Powershift 3 automatic gearbox, a 2.5m wide sleeper cab and a highly fuel efficient 480bhp engine which complies with the latest European emission standards.
Gary Whitaker, Operations Manager for Horizon Platforms, said: “The new trucks are a win-win for both our customers, our staff and the environment and form an essential part of Horizon’s expansion plans.
“Each one features state-of-the-art FleetBoard telematics technology designed to drive down operating costs and improve customer service by ensuring deliveries are on time, every time.
“On-board technology including digital tachographs and street level internet mapping will help us reduce fuel consumption and environmental emissions, and the sheer size of the vehicles means we can make one trip where we used to make two, enabling us to cut our carbon footprint even further.
“We pride ourselves on being a good company to work for, and because we’ve chosen some of the highest quality vehicles of their type on the market, our drivers now have an even safer and more comfortable environment to work in.“
Each truck benefits from the Mercedes-Benz Electronic Inspection System, an online system to help manage maintenance and inspection schedules electronically, eliminating the need for paperwork and manual data recording, making life simpler for drivers and reducing vehicle downtime.
The trucks can each carry a load of up to 23.5T on a Noteboom OSCS 3 axle semi low-loader trailer which features a hydraulic ramp up to the swan neck and hydraulic double flip access ramps with slide together feature. The trailers are designed to transport a wide range of powered access equipment – from cherry pickers to scissor lifts.
Horizon supports the principle of trading locally and bought the trucks from Northside Truck & Van in Doncaster, a Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicle Dealer.
To find out more about current job opportunities please visit our careers page. http://www.horizonplatforms.co.uk/careers-at-horizon-platforms.html